Midweek Road Trip to ULM Up Next for No. 5 Baseball

			#5 OLE MISS (14-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. ULM (12-3, 0-0 Sun Belt) March 10-11 Monroe, La. Warhawk Field (1,800)
Ole Miss Notes • SEC Notes

Tuesday, March 10 6 p.m. CT Warhawks All-Access	Wednesday, Mar. 11 4 p.m. CT Warhawks All-Access
PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: LHP Benji Gilbert 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 6 K, 0 BB ULM: LHP Tyler Lien 2-0, 1.08 ERA, 8 K, 4 BB	PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: LHP Jackson Kimbrell 1-0, 3.00 ERA, 5 K, 3 BB ULM: RHP Nicholas Judice 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 K, 7 BB
Watch • Listen • Live Stats	Watch • Listen • Live Stats

Games 16-17
Dates: March 10-11
First Pitch: 6 p.m. | 4 p.m.
Location: Monroe, La.
Venue: Warhawk Field
Dimensions: LF-330, CF-400, RF-330 (1,800)
TV: Warhawks All-Access
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play by Play: Eli Savoie
Analyst: Brad Henderson
Series History: 32-10-1, Ole Miss
Last Meeting: May 2-3, 2017 (in Oxford)
21-7 (7), Ole Miss | 5-3, Ole Miss
Last in Monroe: Mar. 12-13, 2013
10-4, Ole Miss | 8-3, Ole Miss

Leading Off
• Ole Miss enters the weekend at 14-1 after sweeping Princeton by a combined score of 47-6, tying the most runs scored by a Rebel team in a three-game series in program history.
• The Rebels are on 14-game win streak, their longest since reeling off 15 in 1964 and three behind the program record of 17, set it 1960.
• The Rebels rose to No. 5 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this week.
• The Ole Miss offense is off to a hot start, leading in the nation with 31 home runs through four weeks of action.
• Ole Miss also leads the nation in home runs per game at 2.07. That puts them on pace for 116 during the 2020 regular season, which would shatter the program record of 98 home runs set in 1998.
• The Rebels swept their third consecutive weekend series last week, a first since 2013.
• In the sweep of Princeton, the Rebels hit .417 as a team with a .526 OBP and 10 home runs. Individually, 9 Rebels hit .300+, 6 hit .500+, 9 had an OBP above .400, 6 had an OBP over .500, 7 Rebels homered, 9 had an extra-base hit, 12 had a hit, 8 had 3-plus hits, 13 drove in a run, 7 had 3-plus RBI, 14 scored a run and 8 scored 3-plus runs.
• The pitching staff did its part as well with a 1.80 team ERA, .161 opposing batting average, a 4.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 0.88 WHIP.
• Junior third baseman Tyler Keenan continued the streak of weekly honors for the Rebels, being named SEC Co-Player of the Week. Ole Miss has had an SEC award winner each week so far this season.
• Keenan doubled his RBI total on the season with 12 last week alone. He moved into first place in the SEC and fifth nationally on the RBI charts.
• Ole Miss will meet ULM for the first time since 2017, when the Rebels took two midweek games in Oxford by a combined score of 26-10. The Rebels last ventured to Monroe in 2013, also taking two midweek contests.

Rebs vs. Warhawks

Ole Miss will meet ULM for the first time since 2017, when the Rebels took two midweek games in Oxford by a combined score of 26-10. The Rebels last ventured to Monroe in 2013, again taking two midweek contests by a combined score of 18-7.

Longest Streak Since '64

Ole Miss has won 14 straight games, the longest streak for the program since 1964. The current streak is the fourth-longest in program history behind a 17-game streak in 1960 and 15-game streaks in 1964 and 1923. During the streak, the Rebels are outscoring opponents by 94 runs, 135-41. Ole Miss is averaging 9.6 runs per game while allowing 2.9 runs per game. The streak includes three wins over ranked teams and three wins at road or neutral sites.

Rising in the Rankings

Off to a 14-1 start, Ole Miss is now a top-five team according to the USA Today Coaches Poll, coming in at No. 5 after the conclusion of Week 4. The Rebels are a consensus Top 10 team, earning a ranking of 10th or better in the USA Today Coaches (5th), Collegiate Baseball (6th), Baseball America (8th), D1Baseball (8th) and NCBWA (8th) polls. Ole Miss was as high as No. 2 in the RPI last week but fell to sixth after the weekend.

Weekly Winners

Ole Miss has already totaled six individual weekly awards just three weeks into the season. Cael Baker was named the SEC Co-Player of the Week and was voted the Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week in Week 1. In Week 2, Anthony Servideo was dubbed a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball, while Doug Nikhazy was chosen as the SEC Pitcher of the Week. Braden Forsyth kept it rolling in Week 3, accepting the torch from Nikhazy as the SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after earning saves in three of the Rebels' four games. Tyler Keenan added his name to the list, taking home Co-SEC Player of the Week honors in Week 4.

Record Runs

Last weekend, Ole Miss dominated Princeton, outscoring the Tigers 47-6 over a three-game sweep. The 47 runs scored tied a program record for the most in a three-game series, matching the 47 runs posted by the 2005 squad against Purdue. The Rebels were just three runs off of their most runs scored in a three-game span (50 set in 1947 against Lambuth and Millsaps).

Rebels Trounce Tigers

Ole Miss used a tremendous collective effort to overwhelm Princeton at Swayze last week. The Rebels hit .417 as a team with a .526 on-base percentage and hit 10 home runs. The pitching staff did its part as well with a 1.80 team ERA, .161 opposing batting average, a 4.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 0.88 WHIP. Individually on offense, nine Rebels hit over .300, six hit over .500, nine had an on-base percentage above .400, six had an OBP over .500, seven Rebels homered, nine had an extra-base hit, 12 had a hit, eight had three or more hits, 13 drove in a run, seven had three-plus RBI, 14 scored a run and eight scored three runs or more.

Three Sweeps

Ole Miss has swept three straight series for the first time since 2013.

LeClair Classic Sweep

Ole Miss earned three hard-fought victories in Greenville, North Carolina, over the weekend, beating High Point (6-2), host No. 17 ECU (2-1) and defending Big Ten Conference champion Indiana (9-5) to sweep the Keith LeClair Classic. Clayton, North Carolina, native Tyler Keenan had a spectacular homecoming, going 7-for-13 with two home runs, three runs scored and five RBI over the weekend. All three Rebel starters went 5.0 innings or more for the third straight weekend, a feat the Ole Miss staff accomplished just twice all of last season. Meanwhile, Braden Forsyth locked down saves in the wins over ECU and Indiana.

Beating the Best

Ole Miss opened the 2020 season with a series win over No. 1 Lousiville, overcoming a 7-2 Friday night defeat with an 8-6 win on Saturday and 7-6 triumph on Sunday. The Rebels improved to 5-0 in series against top-ranked teams at Swayze Field in the Mike Bianco era, also having beaten Florida in 2012 and 2015, South Carolina in 2011 and Georgia in 2009.

Tough Slate

The tough schedule for Ole Miss won't end after taking on the nation's top team on opening weekend. This season, the Rebels will play 29 games against teams ranked in the preseason top 25, 15 of which will be played at Swayze Field. Nine SEC teams are ranked going into the season, and all eight of the other ranked teams appear on Ole Miss' schedule.

Bianco's 20th Season

As Ole Miss begins the 2020 season, Mike Bianco begins his 20th as the Rebel skipper. Bianco is the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC among the big three men's sports: baseball, football and men's basketball. Over 19 seasons in Oxford, Bianco's record stands at 754-440-1, making him the third all-time winningest coach in SEC history and the winningest in the history of Rebel baseball. His 19-year tenure has included 310 wins in SEC play, 16 NCAA Tournament berths, seven SEC titles, six NCAA Regional titles and has produced 17 All-Americans, 62 All-SEC selections and 114 MLB Draft selections.

Inning Eaters

Ole Miss' starting rotation of Doug Nikhazy, Gunnar Hoglund and Derek Diamond have each gone 5.0 innings or more in all four weekends so far during the 2020 season. The 2019 Rebel staff had all three starters go 5.0 or more in the same weekend just twice all of season.

Three Saves in Week 3

Braden Forsyth earned SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday after earning three saves last week. Forsyth is the first Rebel to earn three saves in a week since Parker Caracci saved three straight games during the 2019 SEC Tournament. Caracci also accomplished the feat in 2018, earning a midweek save against Southern Miss and a pair of saves against Arkansas to earn SEC Pitcher of the Week honors as well.

Doug Day No Hitter

On Friday against Xavier, Doug Nikhazy set the tone for the series with six no-hit innings. The Rebel ace struck out nine and walked just two to earn SEC Pitcher of the Week honors, his third career SEC weekly honor. Freshmen Drew McDaniel and Jackson Kimbrell relieved Nikhazy and turned in a combined three scoreless innings to become the first players in school history to contribute to a no-hitter in their collegiate debuts.

Ole Miss notched its second combined no-hitter in as many season, the first time in program history the Rebels have posted no-nos in back-to-back seasons. The Rebels no-hit Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2019 in a contest that was called after seven innings. Friday's no-no was the first nine-inning no-hitter for Ole Miss since 1966 and the seventh no-hitter of any kind in program history.

Two Hits on Day 2

After Friday's no-hitter, Gunnar Hoglund, Austin Miller and Cole Baker combined to two-hit Xavier on Saturday. Hoglund struck out a career-high 12 over 6.0 innings, while Miller and Baker finished out the final three with six more Ks. Between Friday and Saturday, Ole Miss allowed the fewest hits (2) in a two-game span in school history.

Year 2 for Starting Duo

Last season, Ole Miss didn't return any weekend starters. This season, the Rebels return two as Doug Nikhazy and Gunnar Hoglund are back after combining for 37 appearances, 30 starts and 157.2 innings pitched a season ago. Hoglund opened the 2019 season as the Sunday starter, and he held that role all the way through the Fayetteville Super Regional. Nikhazy began the season in the bullpen but pitched his way to a starting role, beginning with midweek starts against ECU and Louisville before claiming the Saturday starter role during the second week of SEC play. He went on to earn First Team Freshman All-America honors. Nikhazy will run out on Friday nights with Hoglund getting the ball on Saturdays.

Diamonds are for Sunday

For the second straight season, Ole Miss started a true freshman on Sunday of opening weekend. Last season it was Gunnar Hoglund, this season it's Derek Diamond. Both Hoglund and Diamond were taken in the MLB Draft but decided instead to come to Oxford. Diamond was strong in his collegiate debut, going toe-to-toe with Louisville senior Luke Smith, earning a no-decision in Sunday's win after allowing tossing 5.2 innings with just three earned runs allowed. He turned around and earned his first career win, going 5.0 innings with one run allowed on Sunday vs. Xavier.

Pitchers to the Pros

Ole Miss must replace four MLB Draft picks on its pitching staff. Will Ethridge was taken in the fifth round by the Colorado Rockies after filling the Friday night starter role for the Rebels last year, finishing with a 7-7 record and 3.39 ERA over a team-high 93.0 innings pitched. Parker Caracci, a 2018 All-American, was taken in the 21st Round by the Toronto Blue Jays after climbing to fifth on the Rebels' career saves chart in less than two full seasons as the team's closer. Zack Phillips opened the 2019 season as the Saturday starter before being usurped by Doug Nikhazy. He totaled 13 starts and 19 appearances, finishing with a 4.99 ERA before being drafted in the 27th Round by the Kansas City Royals. Houston Roth overcame an early-season injury in 2019 to finish strong, posting a 3.67 ERA over 21 appearances. The Baltimore Orioles took the Oxford native in the 29th Round. In total, Ole Miss must replace 290.2 innings pitched.

Swayze Shower Szn

Ole Miss hit 10 home runs over the weekend to reclaim the top spot on the national home run charts, leading college baseball with 31 through four weeks. Tennessee ranks second behind Ole Miss with 27. The Rebels are also first in home runs per game at 2.07, putting them on pace for 116 during the 2020 regular season, which would shatter the program record of 98 home runs set in 1998.

Yes Sir!

Junior shortstop Anthony Servideo has been the lead catalyst for the Ole Miss offense this season, evidenced by a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honor in Week 2. The Jupiter, Florida, native was 7-for-14 and slashed .500/.667/1.143 with three home runs, including a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning on Wednesday against Alcorn State. Servideo totaled six runs scored, seven RBI, five walks, two HBPs, was 3-for-3 in stolen bases and struck out just once in 21 plate appearances. Servideo leads the Rebels with five home runs.

Cael Yeah Damn Right

Cael Baker wasted little time making his name known among college baseball fans. The 2019 NJCAA Player of the Year and triple crown winner added to his list of accolades, earning SEC Co-Player of the Week and Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week honors after going 5-for-12 (.417) in Week 1 with a double, two home runs, five RBI and an even 1.000 slugging percentage to lead Ole Miss to a series win over No. 1 Louisville. He became the first Rebel since Cody Overbeck in 2008 to have a multi-homer outing within the first two games of the season. He's also the only player since at least 1997 to have a multi-homer game within his first two games of wearing a Rebel uniform.

Catcher U

Just seven games into his collegiate career, Hayden Dunhurst is already proving to be every bit the star the Rebels hoped he would be behind the dish. Dunhurst hasn't allowed a stolen base yet this year, erasing both of the runners who tested his 1.81-second pop time. And after a quiet Week 1 at the plate, his bat came around in a big way in Week 2. The freshman out of Carriere, Mississippi, hit .364 with a team-high eight RBI thanks to four hits and two home runs.

Dunhurst looks poised to be the next in a great line of catchers under Mike Bianco and Co. The rookie out of Carriere, Mississippi, is one of just three freshmen to start at catcher on opening day in the Mike Bianco era alongside Taylor Hightower and Dunhurst's predecessor, Cooper Johnson. Over the past five seasons, has allowed the third-fewest stolen bases in the SEC while catching the sixth-most would-be base stealers in the league. Dunhurst will be tasked with replacing one of the best defensive catchers in the nation from a year ago. Johnson finished second in the SEC defending against the steal. Ole Miss allowed just a 61.1 percent stolen base success rate. Dunhurst spurned MLB Draft overtures to come to Oxford. Perfect Game rated him the No. 1 catcher and No. 44 overall prosepct in the nation. He was a Perfect Game All-American and Prep Baseball Report's Mississippi Player of the Year.

Two Outs, No Problem

Ole Miss has tallied 45 two-out RBI this season, comprising 34.8 percent of their total RBI on the year. The Rebels notched 18 of those 22 in Week 3, making up 44 percent of their run production for the week. Ole Miss added more 17 in the Princeotn series alone.

SEC Speed

Ole Miss boasts a wealth of team speed this season. So far in 2020, the Rebels are 26-of-27 in stolen bases, good for fourth in the SEC and 38th nationally in total SBs. Anthony Servideo is 9-for-9 so far this year after swiping 24 bags in 26 attempts a year ago. This fall, three Rebels freshmen a 60-yard dash in the 6.5-range or better. Cade Sammons clocked in at 6.56 seconds, Trey LaFleur at 6.53 seconds and Connor Walsh at a program-record 6.28 seconds. They were joined in the spring by two of the fastest players in college football in John Rhys Plumlee and Jerrion Ealy. The duo combined for 1,745 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns as freshmen and finished one-two on Ole Miss' single-season freshman rushing charts. Ealy is 3-for-4 on the year, while Plumlee is 1-for-1 in stolen base attempts.

Big Spikes to Fill

With Grae Kessinger, Ryan Olenek, Cole Zabowski, Thomas Dillard, Cooper Johnson and others all gone from the Ole Miss offense, the newcomers on the 2020 squad will have some big shoes to fill. The Rebels must replace 67.6% of their at-bats, 68.2% of their runs scored, 69.6% of their hits, 74.5% of their doubles, 59.5% of their home runs, 64.7% of their RBI and 71.0% of their stolen bases. The departed Rebels combined to hit .290, including four players who hit over .300.

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Players Mentioned

Cael Baker

Cole Baker

Parker Caracci

Derek Diamond

Thomas Dillard

Hayden Dunhurst

Jerrion Ealy

Will Ethridge

Braden Forsyth

Benji Gilbert

Gunnar Hoglund

Cooper Johnson

Tyler Keenan

Grae Kessinger

Jackson Kimbrell

Trey LaFleur

Drew McDaniel

Austin Miller

Doug Nikhazy

Ryan Olenek

Zack Phillips

John Rhys Plumlee

Houston Roth

Cade Sammons

Anthony Servideo

Connor Walsh

Cole Zabowski

The University of Mississippi Athletics